Destiny Send Message

This is a fermented tea leaf, and you can taste it! It has a savory flavor that washes over the back of the tongue first. I suggest that if this is your first fermented tea, you may want to brew at a lighter strength. The aroma is earthy, woody, and pure (very obviously a pu-erh and black tea blend!). After it was brewed, I got a very strong wood-y and earthy flavor, a bit like mushrooms if I’m honest. This tea does have a linger to it, and if you’re not careful with the temperature this tea will bitter before others like it. Not a bad cup, but I am toying with a blend for this to cut down on the linger a bit.

Maybe I’m a bit biased with this tea as I am also a heavy coffee drinker! Of coffee notes, this has more of a caramel flavor reminiscent of a shot of espresso; more creamy than your average cup o’ joe notes. Right out of the tin, the first smell you’ll get is roasted cocoa and warm vanilla. The mouthfeel is slightly acidic but overall clean (unless you add cream, which was a tasty addition in my humble opinion!), and with a medium linger. The Mate showed through strongly and I did notice the tell-tale signs of the caffeine that hit me a few minutes later. I do all tea tasting both iced and hot: I much preferred this tea hot. When cold, the subtle nuances of vanilla are lost to the chill.

This was my first experience with a green earl gray- I wasn’t sure how to feel about the mix of delicate green tea with bergamot flavoring. The scent is floral (rosebuds) and bergamot, with a clean green tea undertone. I brewed a little cool at 165 rather than 175, and the tea leaves opened beautifully even at this temperature. The first note I got was the bergamot and rose; but the green tea melted into the flavor as it washes over the tongue. I am still developing my palette and I did notice a butteryness to the flavor, but it’ll take a few more steeps before I puzzle that flavor out. The second steep was just as good as the first, and I even sampled that one iced!